What’s Special about Playtime Paris? I just returned from Paris this morning after a wonderful weekend at the Playtime Paris Kids Trade Show. At the show I had the opportunity to interview Sebastien de Hutten from Playtime, Kay Sakaguchi from Playtime Tokyo, along with many inspiring kids fashion designers from around the globe.
Playtime runs trade shows in three geographic locations: Paris, Tokyo and New York where designers twice a year launch their Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections.
I’ve been writing about Playtime for a number of years and have visited both Summer and Winter shows in Paris, New York. I hope to visit Playtime Tokyo soon…
Each season I’m impressed by Playtime’s growth in both the number of exhibitors, attendees and recognition of Playtime as an industry leading international kids fashion events. More and more designers are choosing to exhibit at Playtime. In 7 years Playtime Paris has grown from 45 exhibitors to over 400. Which makes me curious, what makes Playtime so special?
Interview with Playtime’s Sebastien de Hutten
This weekend I had the pleasure of interviewing Playtime’s Sebastien de Hutten who gave me a better understanding about Playtime, how it started, and what makes it unique to the kids’ fashion industry.
Playtime is all about inspiration and excitement around kids fashion, featuring upcoming styles, design, and trends. Each edition Playtime collaborates with up and coming artists to create trend spaces that integrate featured designer collections that correlate with the trend. Watch my complete video interview with Sebastien de Hutten.
When I interviewed designers about their collection, one thing I heard over and over is their praise for Playtime. How the environment is very positive and friendly. It’s one of the few shows that you’ll meet the actual designers and get a feeling for what inspired their collection. They enjoy meeting buyers from both large international retailers and local boutiques, networking on collaborations with fellow designers, and getting a general feel for the industry’s direction and upcoming trends. I also heard from designers that Playtime organizers work hard to assure that exhibitors get the most out of the show, are interested in their feedback for future shows, and keep a friendly, inviting and informal environment. You won’t find huge booths at Playtime and it’s very easy to approach each designer’s booth where they are happy to explain their design inspiration.
Playtime Introduces Playologie – Online B2B Virtual Showroom
Before the show, Playtime announced the launch of “Playologie” – an online B2B website that is a virtual showroom. I also had the opportunity of interviewing Sebastien de Hutten about this exciting new project. Watch full video interview about Playologie.
I’m personally really excited about Playologie as it fills a well-needed gap in the kids’ fashion industry by connection designers with buyers in a common online e-commerce platform with verified buyers. Often Dashin Fashion readers ask me for wholesale information, and Playologie will provide this B2B information. Playologie will launch in June and designers will benefit from Playtime’s on-going contacts in the kids’ fashion industry.
Understanding the need for high-quality product photos on Playologie, Playtime offered designers the opportunity to photograph their collections during the show with StyleShoots, an innovative photo studio that in just a few seconds photographs multiple items with a cut out background and can be exported for broadcast on the web, by PDF or on paper. I witnessed StyleShoots in action and was blown away by the high-quality photos with transparent backgrounds that are impossible to achieve in Photoshop. Believe me, I’ve tried many times!
Tip for Playtime Visitors
One big tip for Playtime visitors….keep in mind that although it feels small, there are over 400 exhibitors and you really need to plan 2-3 days to explore. This time I attended a full 3 days and still didn’t get to visit all the designers I wanted to meet. No matter how far ahead I plan my schedule I’m always drawn away to discover new designers from around the globe including Japan, UK, USA, France, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Latvia, Belgium, Netherlands and more!
Merci to Playtime for the fun, a fashion-filled weekend in Paris…It was the perfect opportunity to interview hundreds of inspiring kids fashion designers under one roof. I look forward to the next edition in July!